Photo Gallery: Rescuing the Oil Spill's Animal Victims

Heavily Oiled Brown Pelican

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

A heavily oiled brown pelican rests on Queen Bess Island in Louisiana’s Barataria Bay. The bird is one of the countless victims of BP’s Gulf oil spill, which unleashed some 4.9 million barrels of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. (Each barrel of oil equals 42 gallons or 159 liters.)

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service statistics report that 3,634 dead birds and 1,042 live oiled birds had been collected by rescue workers as of September 14. Among that tally were 376 dead brown pelicans and 192 found alive but immersed in oil.

Millions of the Gulf of Mexico’s migratory and resident birds may be placed at some level of risk due to the disaster.

Netting a Pelican

The brown pelican is a species native to the Gulf of Mexico and fresh off the U.S. Endangered Species list as of November 2009. Hunting, habitat loss, and the egg-thinning impacts of the pesticide DDT pushed the birds to the brink of extinction before recovery began following the 1972 DDT ban.

Populations now number about 600,000—but the birds face a new threat with the immediate and long-term impacts of oil in their Gulf habitat.

Pelican Cleaning

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Volunteers work with a severely oiled brown pelican during “degreasing” at an IBRRC facility in Fort Jackson, Louisiana, where many birds fouled by the Gulf oil spill have been brought.

Feathers keep birds warm, waterproof, and able to fly—but not when they are coated with oil. The gooey substance impairs these crucial functions. Birds also breathe fumes and swallow oil while trying to clean oily feathers or find prey in dirty water. Ingested oil causes a host of ills, from digestive issues to immune system problems, and can even impact egg laying.

Pelican Bath

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Oiled pelicans are cleaned with warm water and a common kitchen staple—Dawn detergent. Rescued birds typically suffer from dehydration, hypothermia, malnourishment, and infection, so they must regain their strength for several days before undergoing the stressful and dangerous cleaning process.

Dangers don’t end when cleaning is complete and birds are released. Many animals may die, suffer long-term ailments, or even navigate back to their native but oily waters. These hard facts led some experts to suggest it would be better to humanely kill heavily oiled birds and channel efforts and funding into restoring their habitat.

Others argue that with proper care many birds do survive, and that humans have a moral obligation to help them.

Rescued Sea Turtle

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

A sea turtle pulled from oily waters has been cleaned and rehabilitated at the Audubon Aquatic Center in New Orleans. The center, which has been helping stranded or distressed sea turtles for 15 years, became “turtle triage central” in the wake of the oil spill, according to Audubon Nature Institute President and CEO L. Ronald Forman.

By the end of August, 1,086 sea turtles had been collected in Gulf waters from the Texas-Louisiana border to Apalachicola, Florida. Many nests were also relocated from the oil-soaked sands of the northern Gulf to Florida’s east coast, a move that facilitated the release of more than 14,000 hatchling turtles.

Turtle Dormitory

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Meghan Calhoun oversees a makeshift dormitory for rehabilitating sea turtles at the Audubon Aquatic Center. The facility’s tubs and pools are filled with loggerhead, green, hawksbill, and Kemp’s ridley sea turtles that have been meticulously cleaned with warm water, Dawn detergent, and an array of implements ranging from towels to toothbrushes.

Kemp’s ridley turtles are the most numerous at the facility—and those in greatest need. The species is critically endangered and lives its entire life cycle in the Gulf.

Oral Hygiene, Turtle Style

Photograph by Joel Sartore, National Geographic

Opening, if not saying “ahh,” a sea turtle undergoes an oral cleaning. Volunteers swab turtle mouths with gauze pads and also employ a secret weapon—mayonnaise. The familiar condiment helps to break down oil around turtle mouths and eyes so that it can be more easily removed.

Scientists from a suite of agencies and conservation groups released the first group of rehabilitated sea turtles near Cedar Key, Florida, on August 18. Their future in the Gulf, like that of many other species impacted by the oil spill, remains unknown.

Engage, Conserve, Restore

The National Geographic Society’s freshwater initiative is a multi-year global effort to inspire and empower individuals and communities to conserve freshwater and preserve the extraordinary diversity of life that rivers, lakes, and wetlands sustain.